PISCATAWAY — Head coach Kyle Flood doesn’t remember much about Antwan Lowery’s one-season trial at defensive tackle, so much so he says he’d have to look back at old tape from 2009 to evaluate him.

As Lowery, a fifth-year senior offensive lineman with 20 career starts, spans all of this season without one, the question arises.

“Oh my goodness, that’s a long time ago,” said Flood, who coached both with and against Lowery as Rutgers’ offensive line coach. “That’s an interesting question now.”

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Lowery, an All-Big East First Team selection a year ago, has only a handful of appearances this season. An early ankle injury hobbled him, but not before he lost a stranglehold on right guard during spring practice to a redshirt freshman.

Lowery moved to offensive line in 2010, with seven combined starts between the next two seasons. He has struggled with weight issues, making ends meet with a young daughter and the loss of his beloved grandmother since.

He arrived at Rutgers a promising 6-foot-4, 335-pound defensive lineman. Highlight tapes show Lowery overwhelming interior linemen as a Miami high schooler, one former head coach Greg Schiano visited in house a day earlier to secure a commitment, according to mycentraljersey.com.

But at Schiano’s request, Lowery switched to guard the following spring.

“It wasn’t my choice,” Lowery said. “I did want to play d-tackle, but the system didn’t fit. We had to make a move and offense was the best choice. In my heart, I do miss playing d-tackle.”

Under Schiano, Rutgers favored quicker, one-gap defensive tackles responsible for moving along the line of scrimmage. Lowery, who often played a two-gap system in a 4-3 defense in high school, appeared out of place in Schiano’s scheme.

“I was just a plug,” Lowery said of his high school role.

Lowery fit the mold of a run stuffer, a sensible piece on one of the nation’s top run defenses. But Schiano’s defensive philosophy has remained, followed by disciple Robb Smith and this season by Dave Cohen.

Each of Rutgers’ defensive tackles is well under 300 pounds. David Milewski, an end forced to play inside, weighs 250 pounds.

Despite playing few snaps all season, Lowery says he will graduate after this semester and train for the NFL. He said he has accepted an invitation to play in the 2014 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif., where several former teammates participated.

He was one of five defensive linemen Rutgers recruited in 2009. Two of them, Isaac Holmes and Jamil Merrell, remain. Andre Civil followed Lowery to offensive line. Michael Larrow is no longer on the team.

Each has faced personal loss.

Lowery missed a game earlier this year to attend his grandmother’s funeral. Merrell’s older brother, Benny, was murdered more than a year ago. Civil’s mother, Gladys, passed away from stomach cancer in 2010.

Their final regular season game Saturday against South Florida nears.

“It just shows how strong we are,” Lowery said. “Jamil, (twin brother) Jamal losing their brother. Guys going from full-time starters to being backups like myself. Guys fighting through surgeries like (Holmes). Civil losing his mom. It just shows how tough that group was.

“We fought adversity and we battled through it and got through it together. Saturday night is just going to be a testament to show we fought our battles and finally made it.”

About the Author

Tyler Barto is a 2013 Rutgers graduate and a Westampton, N.J., native. Reach the author at tbarto@trentonian.com
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